Ford to reopen F-150 Lightning orders on May 9 – no reservation needed [Update]

If you’ve been waiting to buy Ford’s electric truck, now is your chance. Ford is reopening orders for its trendy F-150 Lightning electric truck again on Tuesday, May 9. However, this time, no reservation is needed.

Since its release in May 2021, the F-150 Lightning has become an instant fan favorite, gathering over 200,000 reservations by the end of that year. Ford calls the Lightning its “smartest, most innovative truck” yet. And that’s with over 100 years of experience.

Perhaps, most importantly, Ford isn’t the only one to realize this. According to recently gathered data, over 50% of Lightning buyers are coming from a non-truck brand.

On the company’s first-quarter earnings call, CEO Jim Farley said, “Almost all the full-size pickup truck EV customers were new to Ford” as buyers look for functional, zero-emission alternatives. In fact, Ford recently introduced a new AI-based feature called Ford Pro Trailer Hitch Assist that can automatically back up and align the Lightning’s hitch ball to a trailer.

Despite a production hurdle earlier this year, Ford aims to triple the number of electric trucks it builds to 150,000 by the end of the year.

After returning to full production in March, Ford said it was reopening its order book for the next wave of F-50 Lightning reservation holders. Now we are learning that nonreservation holders will finally get their chance to order a Lightning model.

Ford F-150 Lightning orders open to nonreservation holders

According to a post on Lightningowners.com by user EFX4, which appears to show communication from Ford to its dealers, F-150 Lightning orders are set to reopen on May 9, 2023.

Update May 9, 2023: Ford has confirmed it will be opening orders for the F-150 Lightning with no reservation needed. The automaker says the suggested retail price of the F-150 Lightning XLT with extended range battery is now $78,874, enabling it to qualify for the $7,500 EV tax credit.

Ford is also increasing the MSRP of the XLT and Lariat standard ranges by $1,000.

The post states 23MY F-150 Lightning Order Bank Opening to All Customers 5/9/23. In addition, it says, “Please review this document with your dealership teams.”

On May 9, Ford will open the 23MY F-150 Lightning order bank to all customers, including on Ford.com. No reservation is needed in order for customers to place an order. Before this, customers needed a reservation and were invited to place an order through the F-150 Lightning Reservation to Order Program.

The Ford F-150 Lightning XLT, Lariat, and Platinum trims will be available to order. However, the Pro trim is sold out for the model year.

Ford recently raised MSRP on the Lariat Standard Range pickup from $74,474 to $75,974. Similarly, the MSRP on the Platinum trim jumped from $96,874 to $98,074.

Meanwhile, the automaker did relay that the electric pickup will qualify for the full $7,500 EV tax credit as long as the model’s MSRP is below $80,000. This means the Lariat and XLT Lightning models are eligible.